Students Work To Bring Science Center To Town

September 11, 1996|By LAURA UNGAR; Courant Staff Writer

EAST HARTFORD — Stacie Kampfman, a 17-year-old senior at East Hartford High School, believes her fellow students can collect enough pennies to help bring the Science Center of Connecticut to East Hartford.

They hope their enthusiasm will encourage others to join the fight to relocate the center from West Hartford to East Hartford.

``Hopefully, if they see that kids really want it, they'll bring it here,'' said Kampfman, president of the student council.

The council is spearheading a townwide penny drive as a fundraiser for an expanded science center, which museum leaders have proposed to move from West Hartford to East Hartford. The drive, which will take place in all the schools and throughout the community, will culminate in a parade at the high school's homecoming on Oct. 25.

``We decided on the science center because we felt it was something everyone in East Hartford could go to -- elementary school students to senior citizens,'' Kampfman said.

School officials said previous penny drives, which took place only in the high school and benefited the Ronald McDonald House in New Haven, raised as much as $3,000. Mary Leger, activities coordinator and student council adviser at the high school, said she hopes the community can raise even more for the science center.

If it does not appear that the science center will move to East Hartford by 2000, the new student council will donate the money to another community organization, Leger said.

The science center project, planned for about a decade, stalled two years ago after charges that state aid was misspent or mismanaged. But now it seems to be moving ahead. Last week, museum leaders named a professional fund-raiser, and they recently appointed corporate, political and community leaders to a leadership council that will help with fund-raising.

Also this summer, those planning the $45 million center decided not to ask voters in East Hartford to approve $7 million in bond money for the project so that they can avoid opening a center heavily in debt. They plan to make up $7 millionin private donations.

That's a lot of pennies.

But student leaders are undaunted. They plan to ask local businesses, sports teams, and other groups to help collect money. Then they plan to display the pennies on a float at the parade, which will wind down Forbes Street, from the Goodwin Elementary School to the high school.

Anyone who helps raise money will be invited to march, and the parade will also feature the high school band, cheerleaders, and the homecoming king and queen. It is scheduled to begin at noon and arrive at the high school before the 1:30 p.m. football game.